


The Heart Grows Fonder

by RoSholl



Series: Sweetest Devotion [1]
Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F, mallory press-heath
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:00:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23099719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoSholl/pseuds/RoSholl
Summary: Pure fluff and no plot whatsoever. A few years into the future, Christen Press-Heath is on a business trip across the country leaving her wife, Tobin Press-Heath and their two year old daughter, Mallory Press-Heath. A face time call, a lot of cuteness and a surprise ensues.
Relationships: Tobin Heath/Christen Press
Series: Sweetest Devotion [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1669210
Comments: 14
Kudos: 217





	The Heart Grows Fonder

**Author's Note:**

> I live for the idea of Mal being Tobin and Christen's daughter so I decided to write a fic about it! Just pure fluff. Enjoy!

“I know, it’s hard waking up from a nap, isn’t it? You had a big sleep, didn’t you? Oh! Such a big yawn, baby! Oh, that’s a nice cuddle for Mommy, thank you.”

Christen listened to Tobin speak to their daughter through the face time call on her laptop from her hotel room. She wore a gigantic beaming grin that only grew with every word Tobin lovingly cooed at Mal, trying to ease their toddler from her nap into the living world again.

“Hey, guess what Mommy has for you? A surprise!” Tobin was still out of frame but Christen heard every word she said to their daughter.

“Surprise.”

Christen put her hands over her face as her smile near broke off it, not being able to handle how cute Mal’s voice sounded. She missed her wife so much, and she missed her daughter with every fiber of her being. She was glad, really excited, even, to represent Re-Inc in New York City for a week. But being away from her two favorite people in Portland was hard.

“That’s right, baby. Does that make you happy?”

“Happy.”

Christen almost ruined the surprise by squealing out loud. Mal was _so_ cute. The two and a half year old was going through a phase of repeating the last word of every sentence spoken to her when she was tired, even if she didn’t really know what it meant. It was an endless source of entertainment for her parents, and it made Christen itch to get back home and hold her.

_Finally_ , Tobin brought Mal back into the living room where her laptop was set up, bringing her and Mal in frame as she sat down on the couch to resume the face time call she was half way through before Mal woke up.

Mal had a serious case of bed head, her curls flying out in the most adorable fashion. She was still cradled in Tobin’s arms, her head resting in her neck, her tiny hand curled around the collar of Tobin’s t-shirt.

Tobin smiled at Christen through the laptop, seeing her wife wearing her huge goofy smile she reserved specifically for when Tobin or Mal were being extraordinarily cute. Mal had yet to notice the laptop or Christen’s face on the screen, so Christen called out to her.

“Hi, my baby girl.”

“Mama?” Mal’s head immediately picked up and she looked up at Tobin, the silent question sitting on her face of how she just heard her Mama’s voice if her Mama wasn’t actually there.

“Hi, Mal! Hi, baby girl.”

Tobin couldn’t help but laugh at Mal’s confused yet ecstatic face, and she eventually took pity on her and turned her in her lap so she was facing the laptop and could see Christen.

“Mama!”

Tobin caught Mal just in time as the toddler basically lurched forward to the laptop, so excited she was to see Christen on the screen. Four out of the seven days of Christen’s trip had passed, but Mal had missed her every single hour she was awake. Tobin had been telling Christen before that beyond when she was going to get to eat next, Mal’s main priority had been asking her every other minute “Where Mama?”

“There’s my baby! Hi!”

“Mama!” Mal excitedly squealed out again, reaching her tiny hands out and touching the laptop, not quite knowing what to do but loving the sound and sight of Christen’s laugh and smile. She turned back to Tobin, pointing at the screen still. “Mommy, is Mama!”

“I know, it is Mama!” Tobin laughed at Mal’s actions, like she was the one who was informing her Christen was there as if she hadn’t already been talking to her for 30 minutes.

“I miss you so much, baby.”

Mal continued to be delighted by the screen, babbling excitedly at seeing Christen. “Mama home?”

Christen’s heart broke at Mal’s question. She would never turn down seeing her wife and daughter, even if over video call, but it also made it so much harder for her when she hung up because she got reminded of what she was missing.

It was only three more days, surely she could do that.

“Mama’s not home yet, Mal. I’ll be home really soon, though! I’ll be home to give you all the kisses and cuddles in the world.”

“Mama can read me.”

“That’s right, baby. I’ll read you lots of stories when I get home. Have you been reading with Mommy?”

“Mommy read!” Mal nodded, throwing herself backwards into Tobin who made a noise on the impact, laughing at their crazy daughter.

“She’s so happy to see you.” Tobin said to Christen, both of them smiling down at Mal. “She missed you.”

“I miss you both so much. It’s going great here but one week is a long time. Next time, you can both come with me.”

Tobin laughed, shaking her head. “I’ll just tell the Thorns Junior Academy to take a week off mid-season?”

“Sounds good.”

Tobin playfully rolled her eyes at her wife. “You would say that.”

“Mama I see you!”

Christen smiled adoringly at Mal – her baby was never one to sit patiently when she could have the attention of her Moms on her instead. Christen moved her gaze from her wife’s face to focus on the young one. “I see you too, baby.”

“Mama here?” Mal asked again, clearly on a one track mind.

Tobin wrapped her arms around Mal, cuddling her back into her. “Mama’s not here at home, she’s all the way in New York.”

“New ‘ork.”

“That’s right, baby girl. She went on a big airplane to get there. Remember when we saw an airplane yesterday?”

“At ‘tadium!”

“When we were at the stadium, that’s right!”

Christen gasped through the laptop, having never heard Mal say that big word before. “She learnt stadium? When did she learn that! What else have I been missing?” She rested her chin in her hands, staring adoringly through the screen. “You’re Mama’s clever girl, aren’t you?”

Mal just giggled, moving closer to the laptop screen as Tobin kept a steady arm around her waist.

Tobin just watched with a goofy smile on her face as her wife and daughter interacted. Her heart hurt, wanting so badly to be able to hold Christen in her arms, snuggle their baby in between them. The company was doing so well, but it was pretty easy to forget that when she missed someone this much.

“Don’t leave without us again, okay?”

Christen sent Tobin a soft smile when she heard her wife say that, nodding in agreement. They stayed on the call for as long as they could, before the time difference meant Christen had to get moving again.

“Say bye to Mama, Mal.”

“Mama no bye!” Mal pouted up at Tobin, then looked helplessly at Christen as if she could stop the inevitable hang up and stick around longer. Both of their hearts definitely cracked at that face.

“I have to go, baby. I wish I could stay with you. But I’m coming home really soon, okay? And when I’m home I’m going to give you all the hugs and kisses.”

“Big hug ‘nd kiss!”

“The biggest. I love you, my baby girl. Mama loves you so much.”

Mal smiled at her words. “Love Mama too!”

“Do you have a kiss for Mama?” Tobin asked Mal, helping her lean forwards and laughing as she kissed the laptop screen where Christen’s face was up.

“Thank you, baby.” Christen blew Mal a kiss back, before blowing one to Tobin. “Love you, honey. I can’t wait to be in your arms again.”

“Counting down the seconds.” Tobin said, curling a piece of Mal’s hair behind her ear as she cuddled back into her neck. “Three days. I love you, Christen.”

\-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

“Mama! Mama!”

Tobin sat at the table with her laptop where she worked away, setting up the plan for the upcoming week at the Thorns Junior Academy. She was thinking of soccer drills that would suit the players they had, trying to work out the best pairings and match ups.

Since the call two days ago, Mal had been babbling non-stop about Christen. Tobin quite agreed with her daughter – Christen was always on her mind, as well. She began typing in some words to her document, calling back out to her daughter who was seated on the couch behind her playing with her toys.

“I know, baby. I miss Mama too.”

“Mama!”

Tobin just smiled when she heard Mal say Christen’s name again, knowing how special the bond between the two of them was. It would be very cute to go and pick Christen up at the airport tomorrow and see Mal’s ecstatic reaction when she saw –

“Hi, honey.”

Tobin nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Christen’s voice behind her, immediately being comforted by the feeling of an arm wrapping around her from behind, enveloping her side in a warm embrace.

She could feel Christen laughing against her neck at her reaction, clearly wanting to surprise her and succeeding at that.

“What are you doing here!” Tobin whirled around, a huge smile on her face. “You’re not supposed to be back until tomorrow!”

Christen beamed, impressed with herself. She was holding Mal, and their baby had her little arms wrapped around Christen’s shoulders, her head happily buried in her neck.

“Mama!” She rambled over and over, and it was then Tobin realized her daughter wasn’t just absently calling for Christen before, she must have seen her walk into the room while she was looking the other way on her laptop.

“I missed you both too much. There was an opportunity to squeeze more in yesterday, and with some rearranging we made it work. I saw this flight was an option and I knew I didn’t want to spend one more night alone in bed if I didn’t have to.”

Tobin was on her feet, wrapping Christen and Mal in her arms and breathing in peacefully, smelling Christen’s familiar scent. She kissed the side of her neck where her head was buried, and she felt Christen’s happy sigh.

Christen had both of her girls back in her arms, just the way it should be. Being a boss was great. But it meant nothing without the people who inspired her the most.

“Well, it’s almost Mal’s nap time. How does going from a bed of one to a bed of three sound?”

Christen kissed Tobin on the lips and Mal on the forehead, almost laughing in delight of the thought of a nap and cuddling with her two favorite people. “Perfect.”


End file.
